The 10 Secrets of Thriving Chronic Pain Patients

Stacy Stone Living With It Author and Advocate My name is Stacy, and I am 25 years old. I live in the San Francisco... Send Message Subscribe: Stacy Stone

Monday, November 12, 2007
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1. Do what you love -- a lot.If you don't have something, get something. Try new things, you never know, you might find a hidden talent. Take a class, volunteer. Like children? Find a school and read to the kids. Like animals? Volunteer at the Humane Society. Find something that makes you ...

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good post
bzmomkfor
Friday, November 16, 2007 at 07:52 PM

Wow Stacy, haven't heard from you in a while & this was a great post. Thank you for taking the time to share these good reminders for us all. Hope all is going well for you.
sincerely,
~kat

re: good post
Stacy Stone
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 02:34 AM

Thanks Kat :)
Yes, I took a little break to get settled here in San Francisco. I did write another SharePost a couple days ago about the past year for me and what life is like after TMJ replacements. You can find a list of my SharePosts below this post or in my profile. Hope you are doing well! :)

Excellent Post!
Betty Boop Too
Friday, November 16, 2007 at 08:34 PM
Stacy, this is such an excellent post. It is a kind of process a pain person goes through while they are learning to live with this type of chronic illness. I've found that my reseach, communication and study of pain and how to live and cope with it, has actually become one of my treatments in and of itself. I can spend hours reading and searching and really concentrating on new ways to cope and find that I have learned to tune the pain out to some degree while doing my searching. So I think you actually can use the time spent as a treatment of sorts. Thank you for the great post, I've never really put it in perspective as you have and I appreciate the information Betty

re: Excellent Post!
Stacy Stone
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 02:35 AM

Thank you so much for your kind words! :)

Yes, anything that is distracting is good! If a chronic pain patient can find something that they love to do enough that they can lose hours while doing it, that's great!

Whatever keeps you going and keeps you positive is worth it.
:)
stacy

awesome!
Nicole
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 12:20 PM
I'd like to feel I'm "thriving" most days.... and these are the things that keep me going. Great post Stacy!! Thanks!

no YOU are awesome! hehe :)
Stacy Stone
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 05:53 PM

Nic,
I'm SO incredibly proud of you! You don't have to think you are thriving... You most definitely ARE! Don't think twice about that... you are a role model for all of us who want to be successful wives, mothers, friends, sisters, and daughters with chronic pain.
In my eyes, you are a perfect example of how to thrive with a chronic illness. This SharePost was inspired by people like you.
So, pat yourself on the back.... you deserve it!
Love,
Stacy

STACYMI WOULD LOVE TO THRIVE"
outsider Artist
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 05:01 PM

I WOULD LOVE TO.
but that is next to impossible
Drs deflect me
I get a rx for pain meds and get
nothing else.
no advise,
pain clinics refuse to allow me
treatment?
I dont understand that?
they know nothing about me
and have no records
i have done nothing wrong..
when i relocated to NJ from
Az.
the dr refused to fill my rx,so then
I had to
""dr shop" or face withdrwal and suffering even more for what reason?
just to suffer even more and go back on meds?
I dont understand what is wrong here in reguards to me?? any idea?
i am open for any comments.
linda

re: STACYMI WOULD LOVE TO THRIVE"
Stacy Stone
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 05:56 PM

Hi Linda,
I would love to help you come up with a plan. I wrote you a private message, and would love to talk with you more about how to get your healthcare back on track.
Also, just FYI, I have a SharePost in the works about how to be a "smart patient" and get the care that you need (and deserve). I have a book recommendation/review for this subject as well. Hopefully it will help people in your situation.. because unfortunately, there are way too many out there.
Anyway... let me know when you would like to talk and I'll be available!
Sincerely,
Stacy

re: STACYMI WOULD LOVE TO THRIVE"
Betty Boop Too
Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 02:13 AM

Linda
It just infurates me to see some one such as yourself suffer so badly with no help. There just has to be something that we could come up with that would help you.
Stacy has a great deal of experience with all pain and she also has experience with relocation and finding doctors that can help you.
I hope the two of you can come up with some positive results for your healthcare.
As a person with pain, you have the right to have your pain thoroughly assessed and promptly treated.
Please let me know if I can help search or find anything for you.
Betty

The Ten Secrets..
M. Baker
Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 10:33 PM
I have been in chronic pain since 1999 when I fell off of a ladder and herniated a disc, thus had to have surgery 6 months later,,that was the time my life changed in a way that I would have never thought. I agree so much with the importance of practicing these 10 Secrets in your life or you won't be able to have a happy productive life. I also have an auto immune disorder,,sometimes I want to scream I am to young for all of this!! There is not a moment that goes by that I am not reminded that I am in chronic pain. Through all of this, I have gone thru a divorce, after almost 41 years, but, I have looked on the bright side of everything, not always easy, but, this makes you look forward to that next day. I work part-time at an elementary school, help with my three grandchildren and I don't always stick to my limitations or try to ignore the pain, which is a no-no. But, some people are just stubborn with pain and I guess that is me, I am not going to let it get the best of me. I am under the care of a pain mangement Dr. and try to do what Stacy Stone has said. So thank you for saying what I try to do each and every day. M. Baker

TMJ
Denise
Friday, December 26, 2008 at 11:31 AM

How do you stop being so negative when ther is nothing noone can do for you with chronic noises in your jaw?

10 Things to Remember when you have chronic pain.
Patricia
Friday, March 06, 2009 at 09:51 PM

Stacy, excellent advice. Thanks for the reminder...it's hard to think or do anything when the pain seems to rule your life. Posting these items on the frig will help me when those "negative" moments arise.

Untitled Comment
Tala
Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 11:57 PM

What a wonderful way to look at life !!

And to think the realization came to me only recently.

Due to prolonged delay in our mail order, I went through full detox aka sheer hell.

Having fibromyalgia,

TMJ,

protruding discs C1 through C7,

spinal stenosis,

pinched nerves in neck,

chronic fatigue,

restless legs,

sleep apnea,

chronic sinusitius,

r-shoulder-hip-wrist-ankle dysplaisia,

very sore tender spots on top of my head,

clothes feel like they burn my skin,

my body core heat feels like a searing inferno, this is something I've yet to get diagnosed.

My ANA levels are over 300.

So you see it was one very difficult time period for me and I had no idea that anyone would care, much less want to listen to me talk about what a mess I'm in, totally non functioning without my medications , someone that truely needs strong medication in order to function on a daily basis without abusing them.